Another setback for Mamata Banerjee as her Rejinagar bypolls pick withdraws
The Mamata Banerjee-led faction of the Trinamool Congress faces further challenges as two of its bypoll candidates withdrew their nominations. The withdrawals follow an Election Commission ruling that forced the party to split its identity and symbols between two rival factions.
Why it matters
The internal political instability within the TMC and the intervention of the Election Commission could significantly impact the outcome of the upcoming West Bengal bypolls.
NEW DELHI: Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, the Mamata Banerjee-led faction's candidate for the Rejinagar Assembly bypoll, has decided to withdraw his candidature, dealing another setback to the faction a day after its Nandigram nominee also pulled out.Chowdhury said he was withdrawing because the faction's newly allotted election symbol would be difficult to make familiar to voters in the short time available before the October 6 bypoll.The decision means Mamata's faction has now lost its candidates in both Nandigram and Rejinagar, two of the seats going to the polls in West Bengal on October 6.Second candidate pulls outChowdhury's announcement came a day after Sanchita Pradhan Dey, the faction's candidate in Nandigram, withdrew her nomination. She had met West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari with her husband on Thursday, but did not publicly explain her decision to quit.After Dey's withdrawal, Mamata's faction backed Congress candidate Milan Pradhan in Nandigram.
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